Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-07-27
HERMANN EXPLAINED.
How ShOwman's Celebrated
Tricks are Performed.


How showman,s Celebrated
Tricks are Performed.
Hermann then picked up a pack Of
cards from the table and shuffied
them, arranging the nine of clubs, ten
of diamonds and ace of hearts in the
middle of the pack, so that he would
know their exact position and could
keep the third finger of his right hand
beneath them. He walked down
from the stage and presented the pack
spread out back upwards to one OF the
audience, requesting the gentleman to
select a card. As the stranger reached
for a card, Hermann moved the nine
of clubs toward his with his finger and
the stranger took it. Another person
was made to draw the ten of diamonds,
another the ace Of hearts in the same
way. They looked at their cards and put
them back into the pack, which was
then shufiied.. The Snowman re-
turned to the stage and asked the
three persons to name their cards.
They did so, and a young woman,
dressed as page, then brought from
behind the scenes sword. The blade
of the sword had been passed through
three similar cards, which were con-
cealed behind the hilt guard. A fine
elastic cord was attached to the point
of the sword, stretched and fastened
to the hilt. The three cards were
made fast to the elastic. The young
woman took the pack and tossed it
toward Hermann, who held the sword
in his hand. AS she did 50, he thrust
the sword toward the flying pack and
released the elastic from the hilt. The
nine of clubs, ten of diamonds and
ace OF hearts at once appeared near
the point of the blade, as though
pierced through while flying,
Next, Hermann borrowed a hand
kerchief from lady and gave it to a
yeung man to hold between his hands.
He carried a wand under his arm.
Taking the wand out with his right
hand, he also took from little pocket
under his arm small package of pieces
of linen, which he concealed in the palm
of his right hand. He then said the
young man in the audience was not
holding the handkerchief right, and
took it from him to show him how.
He rubbed the handkerchief between
his hands, palmed it, and gave back
the bits of cloth in its stead.
The young man did not OBJ
serve the change. Again Her
mann appeared dissatisfied, and
told the young man to hold the hand
kerchief up by the corner. The dupe
opened his hands, and the bits of
cloth fell out. He pickel them up
and handed them to Hermann, who
put them between his own hands,
palmed them, and worked towards the
ends of his fingers a long strip of
cloth, which he had concealed in his
palm. Then he shook out the strip,
and said it was composedo of the pieces.
This he rolled up and palmed, a d
turning his back to the audience to 90
back upon the stage he put all the bits
of cloth away under his coat and
showed his hands to be empty. Then
he picked up lemon from which the
pulp had been removed, and inside
Of which handkerchief had been
placed. He cut the lemon
and drew the handkerchief. The
spectators thought it was the one he
had borrowed and they applauded. He
put the handkerchief ON a plate and
poured some alcohol upon it. The
pretty young woman set fire to the
alcohol with candle. Then he ex-
tinguished the flame with sheet of
paper in which he wrapped the en-
bers. He went to table, rolled the
package with his hand into little
ball and took up another paper con-
tanning an unscorched piece Of cloth.
He walked down toward the
audience, pretended to toss the
S.ece of cloth to lady with his
left and palmed it with his right hand,
which he dropped to his waist. While
the spectators were looking at his left
hand he concealed the piece of cloth
in pocket just inside the edge of his
coat. He then placed his wand under
his left arm, and took from the pocket
there the original borrowed handker-
chief, concealing it in his palm. Plac-
his hand at gentleman's ear, he
dropped the handkerchief to the ends
of his fingers, pretended to take it out
Of the gentleman ear and handed it
to the lady.
The performer borrowed tall hat,
turned his back to the audience, put
handkerchief containing three eggs
into the hat as he turned to the stage,
faced about, and took first the hand
kerchief and the eggs from the hat.
The pretty young woman, with a
short wand in her hand, went down
the aisle and borrowed three rings.
Returning to the stage, she slipped
three other rings upon the wand and
handed it to the Snowman, keeping
the three borrowed rings concealed in
her hands. She then went behind
the scenes, and tied the three rings
to ribbons hanging from the necks
of three white doves, and put
the doves into the deep cover of
stew pan. The cover had false bot
tom held in place by spring. While
she was doing this Hermann let the
three bogus rings slide from the wand
into stew pan, broke the eggs and
dropped them in, poured in some alco-
hol and set fire to it. The pretty young
woman brought out the cover and
Hermann placed it on the pan. He
then released the false bottom, lifted
the cover, and showed the three doves
sitting on the pan with the borrowed
rings tied to their necks. He placed
one of the doves on the bar
rel OF a pistol, and fired
his weapon. The dove was trained
not to move. He put the dove on a
table, covered it with handkerchief,
dropped the bird through little trap,
gathered up the handkerchief as
though the dove were inside, wiggling
his finger in the handkerchief to simu-
late the fiuttering ofthe bird, and then
smashed the handkerchief between his
hands very violently. Ladies in the
audience said, "Ohw The Snowman
shook the handkerchief out by the
corners and showed that it was empty.
Harmann next got a programme,